Letter to the Editor of SCMP - Response to letter headlined "Recycling bins in wrong place" (Dec 13, 2007)

 
Letter to the Editor of SCMP - Response to letter headlined "Recycling bins in wrong place" (Dec 13, 2007)

I write in response to the letter headlined "Recycling bins in wrong place" on 13 December by J.R. Paine.

The Government has placed some 28,000 3-coloured waste separation bins throughout Hong Kong in many places including public housing estates, schools, roadside, parks, sports, leisure and cultural venues. The responsible departments may adjust the number and location of the bins according to pedestrian flow, quantities of recyclables deposited and capacity of the bins. The public can contact the concerned departments or the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) if they have any comments or suggestions on the location of the bins.

Waste separation bins at private places including housing estates, commercial and industrial buildings, shopping malls, transport stations and car parks are arranged by the management of the premises. For residential buildings, the EPD has launched a territory-wide Programme on Source Separation of Domestic Waste since January 2005. The programme promotes floor-based bins or other facilities where residents can conveniently drop off different types of separated waste for recycling. Up to now, over 750 housing estates throughout the territory, covering some 40% of the population, have signed up for the programme.

To further promote source separation of waste, the above programme has been extended to the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector in October 2007. We have invited the management of C&I buildings to set up waste separation facilities in their premises. More than 200 C&I buildings have already signed up and we are committed to enlisting more C&I premises in the coming year. More information about the source separation programmes is available in our dedicated website (www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/index.htm).

I thank Mr Paine for his interest in waste recycling in Hong Kong.


Lawrence Wong
Principal Environmental Protection Officer
for Director of Environmental Protection